Badass Old Men
by ShadowPillow
Summary: In which two bad-ass old men happen to get their hands on some copies of SAO, and end up doing some serious ass-kicking on the front lines. (2003 anime. post-Shamballa. Obviously, these two "bad-ass old men" are the Elric brothers.)


A/N: The plot bunny has attacked once again. So instead of bringing you another chapter of New Lead (which I honestly haven't even started on, sorry, I'll probably have it next week it's just been really busy with _three _projects), I bring you... The first chapter of "Bad-Ass Old Men." Yes, that is really the title. If you don't believe me, you can just look up and confirm this with your own two eyes.

Anyway, this is an SAO FMA crossover. As far as I know, this is only the _second _of it's kind, so it really needs more. And besides, I just came up with this idea in the shower, started writing it down as a "potential story" in my profile, and ended up almost typing out the story onto there. So instead I decided to post the first chapter, regardless of how long it will take for the next update, and regardless that I have no idea what the plot is going to be since I always try to make it more independent of the original storylines.

So, Ed and Al are pretty much old men in this story. I'm not going to look up when SAO supposedly took place, since they will probably a tad bit _too _old then, but basically, after Shamballa, time proceeds as reality (With absolutely no time skips. It's amazing.) and for reasons that will be explained, they buy SAO and play it on the launch date. And thus our story begins...

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><p><strong>Bad-Ass Old Men<strong>

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><p>"Wow, I feel like I'm young again," Ed stared at his hands, both with the appearance of human flesh. He could <em>feel <em>both of them, which was odd enough, but virtual reality lacked the finer nuisances of the senses. After so long deprived of that sense in his right hand, those small differences from reality felt overly-magnified to him. But despite the slight numbness, slight insensitively, Ed marveled at this one thing: _he felt _young.

He could hear Al chuckling next to him. "Isn't it? And we even look like some kind of super heroes with these avatars." His younger brother gave a playful twirl, showing off the magnificent black cape he had found in the market as soon the game, Sword Art Online, had launched for the first time. "I almost feel like I could just jump off the ground and fly."

"Do you think you could?" Ed asked suddenly, wistfully. "Fly, I mean? It is virtual reality..."

"Maybe," Al said, then grinned. "Somebody else is probably going to get the same idea and make it. We just have to wait until then. But for now, here's the first VRMMO, and we are going to enjoy it." Ed raised his eyebrows.

"Are you going to force me to _enjoy _something now, Al?"

"Of course," his little brother answered promptly. "It's not like I haven't had any practice, what with you being so mopey all the time."

"I'm not mopey!" he protested, and Al shot him a grin.

"See? Keep that up, and maybe you'll run out energy by the time someone just happens to call you short." Ed sniffed disdainfully.

"I'm not short. I'm 'below average.' And besides, I purposely made my avatar taller than in real life."

"So how about you try running about a bit?" There was a sly smile on Al's face, and Ed knew exactly what point he was trying to prove. Changing the height of an avatar had its costs – namely, a serious lack of coordination. And then there was that whole not having to counterbalance the weight of his automail...

"Yeah, yeah." Ed stood up from the grass-covered area he had been lying on, pointedly making sure he was carefully balanced. "Want to try some monster hunting?"

"With your height adjusted?"Al said dubiously. But only a moment later, he sighed, as if giving in. "Sure."

But they had barely taken a step when suddenly blue light encased them, system administrative powers overriding any semblance of control they had in this game. It was an odd feeling, their virtual realities being transported from place to place like this, almost like they were in some kind of limbo in the moments between. And so bewildered, confused just like the many people around them, they found themselves back in the town square, a barrier formed of hexagonal squares arching above them.

And there was blood seeping from the cracks in the barrier.

Ed suddenly had a very, very bad feeling that maybe being young wasn't worth it so much anymore.


End file.
